We examine the personal heartbreaks the US TV star has endured throughout his life as Dog the Bounty Hunter’s step-grandson dies in a “tragic accident.”
American TV personality Dog the Bounty Hunter is in mourning after his step-grandson Anthony Zecca was killed in an horrific accident at the weekend.
The shocking incident in which the 13 year old boy – the son of Dog’s stepson Gregory – was shot and killed is believed to have happened at around 8pm on Saturday July 20 in an apartment in Naples, Florida.
Dog and his wife Francie released a statement to TMZ through a representative. It read: “We are grieving as a family over this incomprehensible tragic accident and would ask for continued prayers as we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson, Anthony.”
Gregory, who is Francie’s child from a previous marriage, is part of Dog’s bounty hunting crew. He became part of Dog’s personal life when he married Francie in 2021. Gregory has previously shared his passions for guns in social media posts. In one he is seen showing Anthony how to use a rifle while at a shooting range.
READ MORE: Dog the Bounty Hunter’s stepson bragged about shooting rifle with son before horror death
Not the first Dog to endured this tragedy, whose real name is Duane Chapman. Here, we examine the drama and heartache that have surrounded the 72-year-old’s hectic life.
Child abuse
Duane’s mother, a church minister, and their father, a US Army officer, raised them with their three siblings in Denver, Colorado. He claimed in his 2017 memoir, You Can Run But You Can’t Hide, that his father had abused him by using beatings, believing that this was a standard practice.
“Because of my religious upbringing, I thought my dad was punishing me for being a terrible sinner,” he wrote, according to The Express. “Until very recently, I never understood that none of his abuse was my fault. I just thought that was how all dads treated their sons.”
He claimed that he was expected to perform the acts like a man, “but I wasn’t a man.” When my father first came along, I was a young boy seeking his approval. He wrote, “I ignored the pain because I was desperate for his affection.”
sentence of murder
A young dog was found guilty of first-degree murder in Pampa, Texas, in 1976 after Jerry Oliver’s death. When his friend attempted to purchase cannabis while trying to kill an alleged drug dealer, he was waiting in a car.
Duane is not directly involved in the murder, but Texas’s criminal justice system allows for anyone who is indirectly involved. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, but he only served an 18-month sentence.
He said, “It’s something that follows you the rest of your life, no matter who you become or who you are,” in response to the conviction. Not because I’m proud of it.
After that, he made the decision to work as a bounty hunter and advocate for the rule. He rose to fame with his role in the TV series Dog the Bounty Hunter, which he starred in alongside other actors.
From 2004 through 2004, the show aired eight seasons. He uses a taser at work instead of a gun because of his conviction, which prohibits him from using firearms.
tragic passing of a daughter
Dog was informed that Barbara Katie Chapman, his 23-year-old daughter, had passed away the day before her wedding to fifth wife Beth Smith.
After leaving the road, she was a passenger in a stolen SUV that hit a tree. Authorities believe drugs or alcohol may have caused the accident, which also claimed the driver’s life.
In honor of Barbara’s memory, the family made the decision to proceed with the wedding. Travis Drake Lee, her son, was left behind by her for nine years.
Grandson’s “abuse”
After a tape that allegedly contained evidence that Travis Mimms’ father was physically abusing him, Travis, was given to the court, dog was temporarily given custody of him.
The TV star once claimed that it was torture to listen to my grandson’s audiotape of abuse.
Dog and wife Beth took care of the child, but they vowed not to take him away from his father. “I want him to take parenting classes,” said the couple. He remarked that we needed to remove Travis Jr. from that circumstance.
Son who has long been missing
In 1994 Dog discovered that he had a son he had no idea about. with ex-girlfriend Debbie White. Christopher Hecht was born in 1972, while Duane was in prison. After Debbie died by suicide in 1978, Christopher was adopted by Keith and Gloria Hecht.
She claimed that Dog contacted him anyway despite initially being told to stay away. She told The Sun, “He then reached out to Christopher for the first time when he was 19.” He was thrilled when he learned that Duane was his father. They “started a relationship”
Christopher has faced a number of legal issues and struggles. He was given a menacing charge-related sentence of three years in Colorado in 2021. When his son was released from prison, Dog vowed to assist him.
Death of Beth Chapman, a dearly beloved wife
Beth was diagnosed with throat cancer at the stage two in 2017. In A&, E special Dog &, Beth: Fight of Their Lives, she was profiled for her battle with the disease. She received the all-clear after receiving initial treatment, but the cancer returned in 2018.
On June 26 2019, Beth was put into a medically induced coma and died aged 51 at The Queen’s Medical Centre in Honolulu. Dog announced her death on Twitter. He wrote: “It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side.”
Dog had proposed to his new girlfriend Francie Frane, despite his promise to never get married again less than a year after she passed away. The couple became friends after discovering that Francie’s husband, Bob, had passed away shortly before Beth.
We helped each other stand up during those difficult times and times, Francie said, “We both understood the pain that the other was going through.”
We could share our emotions and cry with one another. Through the suffering and heartache, we were able to stand side by side, and it was truly a wonderful combination. They married in 2021.
Death of a coworker
Source: Mirror
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